Law360 (November 16, 2004, 12:00 AM EST) -- Australia’s federal government has agreed to toughen the country’s copyright laws as part of its efforts to gain passage of the U.S.-Australian Free-Trade Agreement.

In a concession to U.S. negotiators, Australia’s cabinet will introduce a series of changes to the Copyright Act in the next sitting of parliament, which begins this week.

The amendments will include minor and technical provisions that do not fundamentally change the agreement with the U.S., Attorney-General Philip Ruddock told reporters

Ruddock said the amending legislation would toughen the Copyright Act's criminal...